This invention generally relates to electrical connector systems with plugs and receptacles.
Many electrical devices must be easily connected to and disconnected from another device that serves as an electrical signal source or sink for the device. For example, many hand-held devices such as personal data assistants (PDAs) and global positioning system (GPS) devices must be repeatedly connected to and disconnected from mating devices. The mating devices may charge the power supply of the hand-held device or transfer data to and from the hand-held device. A common example is a PDA and its cradle. The PDA functions independently, but can be placed in the cradle to make electrical connections through which the PDA communicates with a computer or some other device. Conventional connector systems have disadvantages in such applications. For example, parts of either the hand-held device or the mating device may be broken in use.
The electrical connectors in the hand-held device must be easily aligned with the electrical connectors in the mating device so that a user can quickly and frequently place the hand-held device properly in the mating device. One conventional solution is to include alignment pins on one or both of the handle-device and the mating device. The alignment pins or even the electrical contacts are often broken off, however, because the user fails to pull the hand-held device out of the mating device in a direction parallel to the alignment pins and mating contacts. Alignment pins or electrical contacts may also be broken during placement of the hand-held device in the mating device.
Conventional approaches to connectors include xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d connectors. For example, electrical panels in xe2x80x9cdrawersxe2x80x9d may be installed into a rack that includes a guiding mechanism and a mechanism that allows the device to float relative to the mated connectors. Floating connectors are limited, however, because the allowed movement is restricted to movement of the mated connectors in a plane of the installed panel. When the drawer is installed, connectors in the drawer mate with connectors in the rack in a plane. In the conventional drawer connector system, movement of the drawer connectors with respect to the rack connectors, or pivoting of one of the connectors outside of the plane while maintaining the electrical connection with the other connector, is not allowed.
A connector system with a plug and a socket is described. The connector system allows rotation of the plug and the socket with respect to each other while the plug and the socket are electrically coupled. Embodiments of the connector system help to prevent component and connector damage during coupling and uncoupling of mating components. In one embodiment, the connector system includes a receptacle housing with a plurality of receptacle electrical contacts fixedly attached thereto, and a plug housing comprising a plurality of plug electrical contacts fixedly attached thereto. Each of the plug electrical contacts comprises a proximal end that includes a blade in a first plane. The proximal end is connectable to a first electronic component. Each of the plug electrical contacts further comprises a distal end that includes a blade substantially in a second plane that is orthogonal to the first plane. When the plug housing is inserted in the receptacle housing, the distal end is in contact with a respective one of the plug electrical contacts, and the plug housing and the receptacle housing are rotatable with respect to each other in the second plane.